Piedmont City Charter Changes Appear Headed Toward Changing Piedmont Governance
Big changes have been suggested for how Piedmont is administered.
City Administrator form of government is evolving toward City Manager form of government, further limits on Council terms, increase in tax funds held in reserve, reduced meeting requirements, etc.
On the Monday, February 5, 2018 Council agenda is an item that potentially starts a change to long held principles within the Piedmont City Charter. The City Charter is in the domain of the voters of Piedmont, who must approve any changes to the City Charter..
When the Charter was updated and revised approximately 35 years ago, a citizen Charter Review Committee appointed by the City Council was established to develop recommendations for City Council consideration. After review of the recommendations, the City Council placed the recommended revised Charter on a Piedmont ballot, and it was readily approved by Piedmont voters.
The Piedmont City Charter specifies expenditures, revenues, budgeting, decisions to be made by the Council, decisions to be made by voters, personnel roles, zoning, loan mechanisms, etc.
City staff actions are subject to Council direction and Council action in many instances is subject to citizen approval of major issues such as zoning, taxation, borrowing, and reserve fund limits. Some staff members over the years have resisted the requirement of gaining Council approval in a public forum before taking action on policy matters. The result has led to some policy actions taken without Council authorization.
The City Council has exceeded its authority in some instances, supporting a reinterpretation of the City Charter diminishing voter controls.
Recent issues questionable under the City Charter reinterpretation have been:
- Election process for selecting a mayor following a resignation
- Loans taken out without voter approval
- Refusal to allow a citizen vote prior to making zone use changes
City Administrator form of government evolving toward City Manager form of government –
Piedmont has for generations benefited from its City Administrator form of government, giving citizens and their elected representatives the primary authority and responsibility over numerous governmental actions. The proposed Charter changes in a number of instances would alter this authority.
Unlike the proposed changes, the City Council, rather than the City Administrator, currently has the responsibility to appoint the top administrators of the City. Some of these positions include:
- Police Chief
- Fire Chief
- Public Works Director
- City Clerk
- City Engineer
- Finance Director
The process for changing the Piedmont City Charter, foundation of Piedmont governance, will receive consideration by the City Council on Monday, February 5, 2018, on how to proceed with review and any updating of the Charter.
Residents interested in following this issue can attend the meeting, observe the Council live on Cable Channel 27 or from the City website under videos. This item is last on the agenda.
Read the staff report regarding Charter changes HERE.
Read the agenda HERE.
The proposal to change the term limits so that termed out council members must wait 8 years before running again was based on the mayor’s perception that this would benefit council turn over. As no termed out council member has ever run for re-election it’s unlikely that the mayor’s suggestion will have any effect but will cost voters $50,000 to find out. If turnover and diversity of council are a goal, Council should consider limiting terms to 1 5-year term with everyone getting a 1 year term as mayor. Council is solving a problem it has never faced.
Most of the discussion was about the timing of the vote which must be hurried to be put on the June ballot, at a cost of $50,000. In so doing, three sitting incumbents restricted the number of potential candidates they would face should they choose to run in November. Now that’s how you benefit from incumbency.
Piedmont’s own unique version of gerrymandering.